Cockburn, Plummer lead Illinois past Notre Dame 82-72
Kofi Cockburn flushes powerful jam for Illinois
Kofi Cockburn crashes the offensive glass and slams home a vicious dunk to extend Illinois' lead over Notre Dame.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- — Kofi Cockburn scored 28 points, Alfonso Plummer added 21 and Illinois defeated Notre Dame 82-72 on Monday night in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Cockburn, a preseason All-American and player of the year candidate, leads the nation in scoring at 26.6 points per game. He did not take a shot in the first 12 minutes but finished the first half with 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting. For the game, he was 11 of 16 from the field and made 6 of 9 free throws.
Cockburn scored eight points early in the second half and his dunk with 14:50 remaining gave the Illini a 56-43 lead. Jacob Grandison's 3-pointer extended the lead to 59-43.
At that point, the pace slowed down for Illinois and Notre Dame drew within 67-62 when Cormac Ryan hit a 3-pointer with just under six minutes to go.
Illinois (4-2) pushed the lead to 71-63 at the final official timeout then made 11 of 12 free throws in the final three minutes, including 8 for 8 by Plummer.
Freshman Blake Wesley led Notre Dame with a season-high 24 points off the bench. Dane Goodwin had 15 points and Nate Leszewski scored 13 for the Fighting Irish (3-3).
The matchup paired two of the top 15 schools in all-time victories. With 1,840 wins, Illinois is 15th on the list and Notre Dame is eighth with 1,918 wins.
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Game Information
- Referees:
- Larry Scirotto
- D.J. Carstensen
- Keith Kimble
2024-25 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 11-0 | - | 19-2 |
| Clemson | 10-1 | 1 | 18-4 |
| Louisville | 9-2 | 2 | 16-6 |
| SMU | 8-3 | 3 | 17-5 |
| Wake Forest | 8-3 | 3 | 16-6 |
| Stanford | 7-4 | 4 | 15-7 |
| North Carolina | 6-5 | 5 | 13-10 |
| Pittsburgh | 5-5 | 5.5 | 14-7 |
| Virginia Tech | 5-6 | 6 | 10-12 |
| Notre Dame | 4-6 | 6.5 | 10-11 |
| Florida State | 4-7 | 7 | 13-9 |
| California | 4-7 | 7 | 11-11 |
| Syracuse | 4-7 | 7 | 10-12 |
| Georgia Tech | 4-7 | 7 | 10-12 |
| Virginia | 3-8 | 8 | 10-12 |
| Boston College | 2-8 | 8.5 | 10-11 |
| NC State | 2-8 | 8.5 | 9-12 |
| Miami | 1-10 | 10 | 5-17 |
2024-25 Big Ten Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 9-1 | - | 18-3 |
| Purdue | 9-2 | 0.5 | 17-5 |
| Michigan | 8-2 | 1 | 16-5 |
| Maryland | 7-4 | 2.5 | 17-5 |
| Wisconsin | 7-4 | 2.5 | 17-5 |
| UCLA | 7-4 | 2.5 | 16-6 |
| Illinois | 6-5 | 3.5 | 14-7 |
| Oregon | 5-5 | 4 | 16-5 |
| Ohio State | 5-5 | 4 | 13-8 |
| USC | 5-5 | 4 | 13-8 |
| Indiana | 5-6 | 4.5 | 14-8 |
| Iowa | 4-6 | 5 | 13-8 |
| Rutgers | 4-7 | 5.5 | 11-11 |
| Nebraska | 3-7 | 6 | 13-8 |
| Penn State | 3-8 | 6.5 | 13-9 |
| Northwestern | 3-8 | 6.5 | 12-10 |
| Minnesota | 3-8 | 6.5 | 11-11 |
| Washington | 2-8 | 7 | 11-10 |
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